On April 24, ten of us made our annual field trip to Charlotte Flatwoods. New trails had been developed since our last visit and we walked the one around the lake. This was supposed to be about a mile in length, but it seemed longer than that to me. The entire trail was on a raised berm that surrounds the lake. I assume that this raised area dates from dredging the lake when the area was being planned as a housing development. This raised area kept the entire trail dry and was certainly different than the many "Walk In Water" hikes we have made there before.
Probably because of the very cold winter we suffered through, I estimated that the wildflowers were about three weeks late in blooming and we didn't expect to see the variety we noted in past visits. Nevertheless, we did identify 90 plants. (We are getting better at IDs)
Among these was the seldom seen Sweet Shaggytuft, Stenandrium dulce (the small plant I call Short Pink) and the invasive but interesting Ear-leaf Acacia, Acacia auriculiformis with its cluster of seed pods. Others of interest were Corkwood, Stillingia aquatica, Floating Hearts, Nymphoides aquatica, Hairy Melochia, Melochia spicata, and the springtime Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium.
From left to right, top row: Sweet Shaggytuft, Stenandrium dulce, Ear-leaf Acacia, Acacia auriculiformis, Corkwood, Stillingia aquatica, and Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium.
From left to right, second row: Floating Hearts, Nymphoides aquatica, and Hairy Melochia, Melochia spicata.
90 plant species listed
|
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
|
Acacia, Earleaf |
Acacia auriculiformis |
|
Arrowhead ; Duck Potato |
Sagittaria sp. |
|
Axilflower ; Al's little white |
Mecardonia acuminata |
|
Blackroot |
Pterocaulon pycnostachyum |
|
Blueberry, Shiny |
Vaccinium myrsinites |
|
Blue-eyed grass, Narrowleaf |
Sisyrinchium angustifolium |
|
Bluehearts |
Buchnera americana |
|
Brazilian Pepper |
Schinus terebinthifolius |
|
Bristlegrass ; Foxtail grass |
Setaria sp. |
|
Bushy Buttonweed ; False buttonwood |
Spermacoce remota |
|
Caesarweed |
Urena lobata |
|
Candy root ; Bog Batchelor's Button |
Polygala lutea |
|
Cat tail |
Typha sp. |
|
Corkwood |
Stillingia aquatica |
|
Cudweed |
Pseudognaphalium sp. |
|
Desmodium, low , Ticktrefoil |
Desmodium sp. |
|
Dodder ; Love Vine |
Cuscuta spp. |
|
Dogfennel |
Eupatorium capillifolium |
|
Fern, Ladder Brake |
Pteris vittata |
|
Fig, Strangler |
Ficus aurea |
|
Fingerbrass, Pinewoods |
Eustachys petraea |
|
Fleabane, Southern |
Erigeron quercifolius |
|
Floating Hearts |
Nymphoides aquatica |
|
Frogfruit ; Capeweed ; Matchweed |
Phyla nodiflora |
|
Frostweed |
Verbesina virginica |
|
Gallberry |
Ilex glabra |
|
Goldenrod, Flattop |
Euthamia sp. |
|
Grape, Muscadine |
Vitis rotundifolia |
|
Ground Cherry |
Physalis sp. |
|
Hairy Melochia |
Melochia spicata |
|
Hatpins |
Eriocaulon sp. |
|
Ladies' tresses |
Spiranthes sp. |
|
Lantana |
Lantana camara |
|
Leavenworth's tickseed |
Coreopsis leavenworthii |
|
Lobelia, White |
Lobelia paludosa |
|
Lyonia, Rusty, Costalplain |
Lyonia fruticosa |
|
Meadowbeauty |
Rhexia sp. |
|
Melaleuca |
Melaleuca quinquenervia |
|
Mexican Clover |
Richardia brasiliensis |
|
Morning-glory, Creeping |
Evolvulus sericeus |
|
Myrsine |
Myrsine floridana |
|
Passion flower, Corky-stemmed |
Passiflora suberosa |
|
Pennyroyal |
Piloblephis rigida |
|
Piedmont Marshelder |
Iva microcephala |
|
Poison ivy |
Toxicodendron radicans |
|
Procession Flower |
Polygala incarnata |
|
Rabbit bells |
Crotalaria rotundifolia |
|
Ragweed, Common |
Ambrosia artemisiifolia |
|
Red Bay |
Persea borbonia |
|
Rose Myrtle |
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa |
|
Rose-of-Plymouth |
Sabatia stellaris |
|
Roundpod St.John's-Wort |
Hypericum cistifolium |
|
Rustweed |
Polypremum procumbens |
|
Saltbush |
Baccharis sp. |
|
Saltmarsh fleabane ; Camphorweed |
Pluchea odorata |
|
Sandbur |
Cenchrus sp. |
|
Sandweed |
Hypericum fasciculatum |
|
Saw Palmetto |
Serenoa repens |
|
Seaside Heliotrope |
Heliotropium curassavicum |
|
Shoebutton Ardesia Tree |
Ardisia elliptica |
|
Showy milkwort ; Polygala grandiflora |
Polygala violacea |
|
Smilax ; Greenbriar ; Catbriar |
Smilax sp. |
|
Sneezeweed, Swamp |
Helenium pinnatifidum |
|
Softstem Bulrush |
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani |
|
Southern Guara |
Gaura angustifolia |
|
Sow thistle |
Sonchus sp. |
|
Spanish Needles |
Bidens alba |
|
St. John's Wort |
Hypericum reductum |
|
St. Peter's Wort |
Hypericum tetrapetalum |
|
Stripeseed |
Piriqueta cistoides subsp. caroliniana |
|
Sundew |
Drosera sp. |
|
Sweet Shaggytuft |
Stenandrium dulce |
|
Tarflower |
Bejaria racemosa |
|
Tasselflower, Lilac |
Emilia sonchifolia |
|
Thistle, Nutall's |
Cirsium nuttallii |
|
Thistle, Purple |
Cirsium horridulum |
|
Twinflower |
Dyschoriste sp. |
|
Virginia Creeper ; Woodbine |
Parthenocissus quinquefolia |
|
Water hyssop |
Bacopa monnieri |
|
Water Pimpernel |
Samolus ebracteatus |
|
Wax Myrtle |
Myrica cerifera |
|
White Head Broom |
Spermacoce verticillata |
|
White Leadtree |
Leucaena leucocephala |
|
White Star Rush ; Whitetop Sedge |
Rhynchospora colorata |
|
Wild Sensitive Plant |
Chamaecrista nictitans |
|
Willow, Coastal Plain |
Salix caroliniana |
|
Wiregrass |
Aristida stricta |
|
Yellow Eyed Grass |
Xyris caroliniana |
|
Yellow Stargrass |
Hypoxis sp. |
|
Yellow thimble, Batchelor-button |
Polygala nana |